These Foolish Things
by NightDuchess
Summary: Temari had been leaving a bitter past behind & Shikamaru just don't care much what his future brings. And these two people met in present day to change the other's life in many ways. Shikamaru X Temari X Itachi AU fic.
1. Prologue

A/N: Wow! To my dear readers, it's been so long since I last wrote something to be posted at and I believe my writing had been a little rusty. I'm sorry for the overlooked grammatical and structural mistakes in the story. I know, I'll brush it up, ne? Well, since I've just finished my studies and while waiting for a degree offer, I'll be spending most of the free times I have to write. I hope you guys enjoy this one. And, you don't need to think that it's a ShikaTema fic minna-san, because it IS.

Disclaimer : All the cast in Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I'm a nobody, trying to share enjoyable things with people all over the world, making new friends, and…I'll just let you read the story and shut myself up….eheh…

**THESE FOOLISH THINGS**

By ardenilia

SUMMARY: What foolish things you ask? Falling in love blindly is one of them of course. Because of this, Temari knew better not to ever trust any man again. Well, that is until Shikamaru came along and voluntary playing a role inside her life; from an 'enemy' to a friend and protector. Just when she thought the windows of her sealed heart will finally be opened once again, her past life and his supposed 'future' came to shatter their dreams and hopes together. AU fic. Modern settings.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PROLOGUE

_Tokyo, 2000_

If she could turn back time, she'll do it without hesitation. She would most certainly undo the moment she bumped into him and his gang of 'hooligans' at the hallway, resulting in an attention-grabbing dispute between one of the campus's popular and most-swoon-after senior guy and a girl who no one knew, except for the lecturers. Well, more like she refused to be known by other students at the university. She prefer to be the on the low.

If she could turn back time, she would certainly undo the moment she accepted his apology after the hallway 'scene' and somehow found herself lost in those enchanting onyx colored eyes, low, deep husky voice and most importantly, the way he seriously and whole-heartedly showed that he wanted to get to know her better. Surpassing the senior and junior basis.

Maybe it was in the way he always made everything under his control, and he could do that by only using his menacing gaze but when they're alone together, his eyes would only bear the radiance of tenderness and love. Or maybe it's in the way he gave her his most genuine smile, on contrary to the fact that she heard from the college gossip-folks that he was a stoic man, the one who never have any emotions or feelings.

Despite all that, she felt special and proud, yeah, if that's the word to describe it. Proud to have someone that she could place at the very special spot inside her heart. It was the first time that she felt such things and for a girl who had spent her entire 21 years of life focusing on gaining more knowledge and working hard to make her father proud, falling in love was a new experience to her.

Although he's only a year older than she is, she always teased him saying that he acts much older than he looks. It seems like he's more matured than guys his age and maybe that was one of the qualities that she admired in him.

However, the turning point of her life happened on that one night in July of strolling along the seaside. It was 3 months before graduation. As the faintly chill breeze blew and the three quarter moon's beam enveloped the embracing, loving couple, he took her face in his hands, gently caressing the outlines of her cheeks. Heck, she still couldn't get the vision away from her mind; the vision of his devilishly good-looking face, the raven bangs protruding out from its mass, with the boyishly dazzling smile and his affectionate dreamy eyes. Damn him.

He bent down, his knees and legs planted firmly on the white sandy ground. His slightly rough, callused yet warm hands hold her cold ones in a firm grip. Her turquoise eyes looked at him quizzically, on the same time the wheels of her mind started to spin, trying to make out what surprise that he could possibly had in store for her tonight. She'd known him for over a year now and during those times she had grown used to the fact that he is a man who is full of surprises. There's always something for her to look forward to everyday.

"Temari…"

"Yeah?"

He took out a small velvet box from the pockets of his dark jeans and slowly opened it on the planes of his palm.

"Will you marry me?"

"Co…come a…again?"

Her question received a laugh from the dark-haired man in front of her. In response, he brushed his lips against her hands, before looking back at her.

"Will you be my wife?"

Boy, only god knows that she had the ultimate 'surprise' that night.

If she could turn back time, good Lord, she would've said NO. She should have said, 'It's too early, aren't we rushing things?' or 'I'm not sure about this. Besides, we haven't got any jobs yet' or something along the lines. If she did then all of this would never had happened. But, what would you expect from an intoxicated and madly in love woman?

"Oh YES! YES!" She jumped happily into his arms. Pure bliss evident on her blushing face.

"I'm glad" The platinum engagement ring had been slid onto her left ring finger; its embedded emerald stone glimmered under the moonlight. His thin lips nuzzled the top of her golden blonde hair, eliciting a small grateful sigh from the said girl.

"Oh God…"

"What's wrong Temari-chan?" He looked down at her.

"This is expensive, anata" She exclaimed, pushing her left hand to him. "You shouldn't waste a lot of money for the ring"

"Love, you don't have to worry about that. We promised that we'd share everything that we have, right? What's mine is yours."

"Demo…"

He looked at her amusingly, trying hard to suppress his laughter. "Whatever. I'm not sending the ring back"

"Fine, I give up…" She gave in to his persistence. "I hope your dad doesn't shoot you in the head when he gets your credit card receipt this month"

He shrugged his shoulder in ignorance. "He's got a lot of money to waste, he wouldn't mind. Besides, he couldn't 'murder' his successor to the business empire, he'll kill himself first if he ever dared to think of that. Or, I'll personally sees that he'll 'finish' himself off" He finished the sentence with a conceited sneer before he drowned her in a passionate kiss and a possessive embrace, as if marking her as his, besides trying to shut her off from displaying any comment. Her long, dainty fingers had long found their way to rest at his nape, just below his low ponytail. Temari had always known that she is a sucker for guys with long hair.

Back that time, in the midst of a cloudy mind and an amorous tryst, she should have listened to that voice deep within telling that she is making the biggest mistake of her life. But when one of his hands had tangled itself in her golden tresses, every inch of their bodies touching, his lips and his other hand went to administer things at places she never knew could make you writhe in ecstasy, she haphazardly chose to ignore every single thing that requires her rationality. When lust and love combined, they could deceive you of the awful truth, making you see the lies as the sweetest thing a pathetic human being could believe in.

Damn, she regretted it all. Because of that man, she carried the guilt and hate for the next six years. She swore that she would never fall in love with anyone ever again. One heartbreak is already enough. And this is what she promised to herself.

**I'M GONNA LOCK AWAY MY HEART (AND THROW AWAY THE KEY)**

- **Billie Holiday** -

I'm gonna lock my heart

And throw away the key

I'm wise to all those tricks you played on me

I'm gonna turn my back on love

Gonna snob the moon above

Seal all my windows up with tin

So the love bug can't get in

Park my romance right alone the curb

Hang a sign upon my heart

"Please don't disturb"

And if I never fall in love again

That's soon enough for me

I'm gonna lock my heart

And throw the key

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

END OF PROLOGUE

A/N: Wheew…that was quite a long ride for me. I know you guys would say "what the heck? It's only three pages long. You've got to be kidding me" Well, I still need time to get myself back up into the writer's seat. Heheh…I probably keep you guys guessing who is the 'man' huh? He's still one of the casts in Naruto. But one thing you should know, he's not Shikamaru of course. He's going to be in the picture very soon. So, if you got any questions or comments, please do tell me in your review/PM. Take care, everyone.

P/S: If you realized, the main title of the story is one of Billie Holiday's song. I love her. She's a legend.

Love,

ardenilia


	2. The Guy Hating Witch

Disclaimer: I disown myself from owning Naruto & Company.

**THESE FOOLISH THINGS**

By ardenilia

SUMMARY: What foolish things you ask? Falling in love blindly is one of them of course. Because of this, Temari knew better not to ever trust any man again. Well, that is until Shikamaru came along and voluntary playing a role inside her life; from an 'enemy' to a friend and protector. Just when she thought the windows of her sealed heart will finally be opened once again, her past life and his supposed 'future' came to shatter their dreams and hopes together. AU fic. Modern settings.

A/N: Before anything, I just wanna inform you guys that I've re-check and modify the chapter before. There's a reason why, you should check it out aye okay minna?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 1

**The Guy-Hating Witch**

Tokyo, 2006

Present Day

As the sun perched in the soothing morning Tokyo sky, embracing the peak of the city's silver tall, sky-scrapers; the enveloping rays blessed the earth and the creatures walking on it. That includes a blonde young man with whisker-like lines on his cheeks cutting through the streets with an unusual remarkable speed. For most people, it was just another boring Monday morning. Not to this young man alright.

'Oh Shit! Oh Shit! I'm late. 'She' is SO gonna KILL me!'

Cold sweats started to form on his forehead as he jumped above a stray dog, carefully avoiding accidents. Hell, he wouldn't want to say that he was late because he ran over a dog or something. That'll earn him a cut from 2 months worth of paycheck, metaphorically, because his superior just wanted to piss him off. But the last time he remembered, she threw a chair at him just because he spelled the word 'Corporation' wrong in the monthly report.

The sky blue eyes of the said young man lit up as the entrance of Oriental Konoha Corp. came in view. Thankfully, he managed to slide into the elevator just before it managed to close on him.

The numbers blinked from a level to another.

'Come on. Hurry up' He plead silently before sneaking a glance at his watch.

TING!

"Thank God" With that, he ran out and burst into the glass door of the level 25 office. Just before he got inside, he walked pass by the receptionist. She was a sweet, radiant young girl with jet black hair that goes by the name Kimiko.

"Morning Kimiko-chan. Is 'she' here?" He asked her, lowering his voice when he mentioned the word 'she'.

Kimiko just gave him sympathetic smile while saying, "Yes"

"I'm so dead!"

He prayed for his own life as he quickly ran into his so-called doom which happened to reside behind that white door, completely missing Kimiko's voice from behind.

"Naruto-kun, good luck!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a loud rapping on the door just before she managed to click on the news link on the internet.

"Come in" Came her stern reply. She really hated when people tried to 'bug' her early in the morning.

The door opened, revealing a sweaty and pale looking boy who happened to be one of her subordinate officers. The boy was trying to catch his breaths as he mouthed a 'Good Morning' to her.

"Isn't it too early to be choking on your own breath, Uzumaki?"

"Temari-san…I came…to hand this over to you" His voice sounded wheezy as he forwarded a translucent file, containing a thick stack of papers.

"What is this?" She eyed the file suspiciously but nevertheless took it from the young man's hand.

"The minutes for the bi-monthly meeting last Wednesday"

Her turquoise eyes settled on the papers, absorbing the writings in a glance.

"I know I was supposed to submit it last Friday, but I have a good reason for this…"

"Hmm…" She replied without once lifting her head from the papers.

"You see Temari-san….I…"

"What day is it today, Uzumaki?" She looked at him, with a cold and slightly annoyed expression.

"It's…a...Monday"

"And what day did I wanted THIS?" She raised an eyebrow while her pink lips formed a very tight line. The papers were shoved back on the polished surface, knocking down other files from the table.

"Friday, ma'am"

"Yes I DID!" Her voice raised a note higher than before. Annoyance was clearly written all over her face.

"But I have a good reason for this Temari-san"

"I don't want to hear your reason Uzumaki. You should know very well that I hate tardiness. Don't ever do this same mistake again, or I'll beat your sorry ass into a million pieces. You should be thankful that you're related to Tsunade-sama, if not you'll be kissing your job goodbye from here"

His head hung low in embarrassment, as he was afraid that he might see those glaring turquoise orbs fixed a deathly gaze at him. His knuckled shook in an attempt to restrain his anger.

Without posting him another glance, she said calmly, "Now, get out from my face". But certainly, no sensible mind couldn't comprehend the ice in her tone.

"Hai…Temari-san"

"For goodness sake, Uzumaki. Wipe your sweat please, you're staining the floor"

"…"

"And, pick up those files while you're at it"

"Hai…Temari-san" His body slumped unenthusiastically as he bent down to pick up the scattered files on the carpet.

It wasn't just another boring Monday. It was more like a 'hell-ish' day to start your week. This is what he had to go through almost every time he had to see his superior.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"AARGH!"

His scream echoed through the hallway, earning querying looks from his peers who stuck their heads out of their cubicle.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" Kimiko came as soon as she heard Naruto's voice from her desk.

"Wahhh! Kimiko-chan…" He wailed at the 24 year old girl, as he struggled to contain his anger.

"There, there Naruto-kun. Have a seat" Kimiko hold his hands as she guided him towards the nearest settee.

"It's always like this. What have I done wrong? I didn't come late because I wanted to. Why Kimiko-chan?"

"You know how Temari-san is, Naruto-kun. You just have to be patient. Besides, I believed that Temari-san meant well"

"You can say like that because you're not working directly under her…It's like she hated me just because I'm a guy. I wish Kaka-senpai is here"

"Nah…everything is gonna be fine, Naruto-kun"

"I just hope that there's going to be someone who's gonna save us all from that guy-hating 'witch'"

"Shh…Naruto-kun. Watch what you're saying" Kimiko tried a fruitless attempt to clamp his mouth from uttering any more insolent comments.

"We need a miracle…" The poor boy continued on with his ramblings that he failed to notice a 'killing' aura just behind him.

"A miracle for what Uzumaki?" A voice cut him from finishing his words.

'Oh shit!' Naruto turned around just to see the said 'witch' was grinning cockily at him, hands ready to 'shred' and beat the lights out of a certain someone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Has both of the applicants been informed of their employment, Genma?"

"Hai…Tsunade-sama. Both of them will be reporting next week, same day as today" The dark brown-haired head officer of the Human Resources Department muttered between his chewing of a small-sized senbon and giving his report to the boss.

The president smoothed her blonde-hair in one hand, while trying to stay focus to the meeting. Her honey-colored eyes roamed across the room, resting on her board of trustees one by one as they settled around the square shaped table. From the corners of her eyes, she could see her personal assistant and secretary, Shizune so engrossed in jotting information for her report. Next to her right is the company's vice president, a white-haired man who always wears a silly grin on his face and has a tendency of being a pervert. No matter how much she hated his lecherous ways, Jiraiya had been one of the backbones of the corporation, giving his full support to the company after she inherited it from her grandfather. While beside him is Genma and to his right is Asuma, the officer in charge of the management department who finds there no such thing enjoyable in life except for cigars. From the way he fiddled around with the papers in front of him, even an idiot could tell that he just can't wait to get out of this restricting room and burn some smoke down his throat.

Moving on to Tsunade's left hand side, there was the company's Executive Director. A silver-haired man, who keeps most of his face covered under a cloth mask and has a very peculiar way of spending his free time, well almost every time he had with reading his blasted perverted orange book. There were rumors saying that the author of the book is actually her vice pres, doing it on a part-time basis. By looking at her colleague, there's no doubt that he could be doing that sneaky little deed behind her back.

On the silver-haired man's left side is his assistant executive director. A blonde, exotic looking young woman who she had grew to trust and see of as a younger sister. She remembered the first time she met Temari; she was shocked to find such a young girl had gone through so much in her life. And even more so when she was informed by Kakashi, her Exec Director that Temari was an honors degree holder, majoring in Business & Information Systems. Realizing that the young girl had more to give and receive in life, Tsunade offered her a position in the company. Starting off as a mere officer, she worked her way up with strength, focus and unusual efforts of an ordinary young woman. She's impressive but there's only one problem. She heard that Temari had a tendency to drive her subordinates, specifically male subordinates crazy. Not just because of her looks and physique. No, it was just at the beginning. Temari is well-known among her subordinates as the 'ice queen' since after a few weeks of knowing her, they would certainly felt that their existence as a man is a curse. On the contrary, Tsunade doesn't see it as something big to worry about, because it's just her way of ensuring that they do their jobs and responsibilities. She didn't know much of her past, but since Temari had been keeping mum on her history, Tsunade respected her wishes and rights.

Next to Temari is a beautiful, dark-haired woman with enticing crimson-colored eyes. Yuuhi Kurenai holds the responsibility as the Finance manager, in charge of all the company's budgets and accounts. Besides that, she is one of the company's most sought-after single ladies, apart from the ones that she knew like Temari, Shizune and Anko. But much to every male's dismay, it was revealed last week that she's engaged to none other than Asuma. Apparently, they had been secretly dating for almost four years now.

"I'm sorry to bring this up Tsunade-sama, but why do we need such legal advisors in our current situation? Is it worth it?" Temari posed her a question, with a quizzical look on her face.

"I think I'll let Jiraiya explain it to the board. Jiraiya…" Tsunade turned towards Jiraiya's direction, only to find him busy staring at Temari, wearing his usual smug grin.

"For goodness sake JIRAIYA! Stop staring at Temari and focus on the meeting" Tsunade barked at the top of her lungs while trying hard not to stab Jiraiya at the heart with her pen.

"What? Oh alright, Granny"

"Who are you calling a granny, you old geezer!"

Just before the banter took a worst turn, Shizune and the rest came to save the day.

"Relax, everyone. Calm down" Shizune tried to calm Tsunade, while in the same time tried to hold her down from lunging towards Jiraiya. Jiraiya on the other hand, tried to hide behind Genma.

"Aww…relax Tsunade. Can't a man admire the beauty of a woman?" Jiraiya exclaimed while trying to dodge a flying pen, as it hit Genma instead, sending him down to the floor with a loud thud.

"Shut up, Jiraiya!"

"Kakashi, give me some hand here"

"No can do boss" Kakashi shrugged with a smile on his face. "Besides, you're hitting on my assistant"

"Jiraiya-sama…" Temari's soft and reserved voice came after Kakashi.

Jiraiya, who had now found a new hideout, looked up from behind Asuma's chair, looking slightly relieved that the 'angel' had come to his rescue. "Yes, dear?"

Or so, he thought.

"You should keep your eyes to yourself next time. If not, you're not just going to regret you ever tried to open your eyes to feast upon other women. You'll also regret to see that you're not worthy as a man either. And, don't 'dear' me. No offense, but you made me want to stick a pole through your head and hang you upside down and tie you to a freaking Christmas tree" She managed to finish the sentence in one breath, all the while not leaving behind her cynical, contemptuous expression and with her eyes still glued to the paper works in front of her.

'Ouch. That hurts' Kakashi mused silently to himself, secretly feeling sorry for his Vice Pres.

"I'm so heart-broken. How could you break an old man's heart Temari?"

"Hahah…you're finally admitting that you're an old man, Jiraiya?" Tsunade chuckled.

"Shut up Tsunade"

And the bickering continues as the rest of the board members sighed upon a mutual conclusion.

'For fifty year old people, they sure act like they're fifteen'

And, it's just one of the wonders working at Oriental Konoha Corporation where constant bickering by the President and her vice pres and the staff's various attitude colored each moment that comes everyday.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You really shut Jiraiya-sama just now" Kakashi said as he rested against the glass cabinet inside her office.

"Hmmph…" Temari grunted in reply as she glared at her superior officer before fixing her eyes back to the computer screen. One of her refined, small hands fumbling with the keys on the keyboard as she reached for one of the files on the shelf behind her.

"I also heard what happened to Naruto-kun this morning"

"…" Still, no reply from the stoic statue of the blonde woman. The only sound heard in the medium-sized room was the sound of keyboards tapping and human breathing.

"Temari…" One of his hands came to halt both of her own from "torturing" the poor device.

"What? If you're trying to ask me whether I felt sorry for what happened today, well I don't…feel anything"

"Yeah…I understand the way you handle your job, but couldn't you be a little bit softer with the guys? I'm not asking for anything but I just hope that you wouldn't be too hard on our subordinates. Remember Temari, we lead by respect, not fear"

"I just wanted to toughen them up. That's all Sempai, not-"

"Or you want to take out every single hate that you have for a man in your past on the men in present?" He raised his right eyebrow in a questioning manner.

Her eyes narrowed at the silver-haired swinging bachelor. "You don't know anything about me, Sempai. Don't try to bring up something that you are not aware of-"

"That's because you've been keeping it away from me"

"…"

"Hey, Temari-chan. You should let loose a li'l bit" He said as he took out a bright orange book from the pockets of his blazer. She couldn't help but feel slightly aggravated that he actually had the guts to read that damned book in front of her.

"Like you?" She snickered. "Man, Kakashi if I wanted to let loose, I wouldn't be reading those trash anyway"

"Trash? This…" He waved the book in front of her, receiving a sulk in return. "…is art"

"Art, my foot. You're 39 Kakashi, so get married already and do something useful in your life other than sticking your head into that book"

"You're the one who keep turning me down, Temari-chan" He grinned before putting the book back to his face.

Temari gritted her teeth in annoyance. "That's not funny Kakashi. You knew me better than that"

"Well, how about you? You know, sooner or later Hiroshi's gonna need a father"

Two pairs of eyes landed on a silver-cased picture frame perched on top of the table. The picture was of Temari and a small, raven-haired boy. As she stared at the image lovingly, she let out a very long sigh. "I've been his mother and father at the same time since the day he was born. We've survived for six years now and I don't see why we need another person to play the role of a father in the family after a very long time. He got his uncles, what more could he want…"

"You could keep denying that fact, but can you deny the fact that you are still a woman. You need a man who could protect you"

"Hah…that is so classic! If a man wanted to mess with me, he better think twice" Temari laughed at his statement as she picked herself up from the chair and grabbed her trench coat from the hanger.

"Where are you going Temari? We're not finished yet"

"Oh Sempai…" She called out as she posed dramatically at the door post. "Please spare me from your merciless same-ole-talk. Besides, I'm going to lunch. You're coming?"

"Temari, wait up!" Kakashi bellowed as he shut the book and placing it back in the safety of his pockets.

"You should know better that this woman waits for no man" Temari left the room with a conceited smirk as her silver-haired boss followed behind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End Of Chapter 1

A/N: I admit that this is not my best chapter yet. I was down with a fever and I suffered food poisoning so, I was totally bed-ridden for several days straight. Try the feeling when you had to go to the kitchen downstairs and felt like flying all of a sudden…heheh. I'm still trying to find inspirations and in order to do so; I need to hear from you guys. But anyway, thanks a lot for taking the time to read this fic! See ya next chappie!

Love,

ardenilia

P/S: For the followers of my other fic "It's Worth The Troubles", rest assured coz I'll be finishing chapter 7 very soon. Ja ne!


	3. Against All Odds

Disclaimer: I disown myself from owning Naruto & Company.

**THESE FOOLISH THINGS**

By ardenilia

SUMMARY: What foolish things you ask? Falling in love blindly is one of them of course. Because of this, Temari knew better not to ever trust any man again. Well, that is until Shikamaru came along and voluntary playing a role inside her life; from an 'enemy' to a friend and protector. Just when she thought the windows of her sealed heart will finally be opened once again, her past life and his supposed 'future' came to shatter their dreams and hopes together. AU fic. Modern settings.

Future Pairings: Will soon be revealed gradually. Yes, ShikaTema will not be getting all the limelight to themselves.

Author's Note: Thanks a lot to my lovely reviewers and I brought forward my deepest apologies for not being able to reply to you all personally. I promise I'll get back to you guys A.S.A.P. In the meantime, please don't stop reading my fic, because I'll keep on writing when knowing that there are readers who enjoy my story.

By the way, you all would find out who's our mysterious 'man' in this chapter. Although, I might have revealed who he is to some of you guys. Gomen for the confusion.

Forgive me for the first few chapters, you will see our favorite girl's interaction with another male character and not with Shika. I hope my fellow ShikaTema fans would be patient with me. Enjoy!

This chapter is a flashback.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 2

**Against All Odds**

_Tokyo, July 2000_

"You WHAT!"

"Tenten…you don't have to look so petrified!"

The brunette shook her head in confusion, before fixing her eyes back to Temari. Her blonde roommate was quite different from most girls but she didn't expect her to this extend. Especially when a glittery yet foreign object rooted on Temari's RING finger. Yeah, you got the picture.

Somehow the headstrong, tomboyish Temari does not fit together with any pieces of jewellery.

"Am I missing something here…- I mean I know you're dating our senior, and like for how long?"

"Less than a year, but…-"

"Exactly. Now, all of a sudden you're engaged!" Tenten's eyes grew wider as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking like a mother who is trying to put some sense into her bratty teenage daughter's mind.

Temari stood still, leaning against the window of their small dormitory room. Her eyes lingered around the room, brushing across the posters of Hoobastank, Ayumi Hamasaki and several miniature fans and scrolls stuck on the walls before resting on Tenten, who sat in front of her desk wearing a very disapproving look.

"Are you pregnant?" Tenten asked suspiciously, her posture rigid for a moment.

"Hell, NO! What makes you think like that?"

The brown-eyed girl rubbed her forehead in confusion. "That's the most logical explanation I could think of at the moment"

"I'm not that cheap. We've never even crossed that border yet"

"Is that so? What about those marks on your neck?"

"What?" Temari's hand went up to her neck and she winced at the slightest contact. 'Oh shit! I forgot about it' "Is it obvious?"

"I didn't remember it was there yesterday" Tenten swore she would miss the spot if Temari didn't move so much. The pinkish marks were hidden under the collars of her tee.

"Tenten, we didn't have sex last night or even any time before if you want to know but that's not the point here!"

"Okay…alright. Jeez, don't lash out at me just because I happened to care about my best friend"

"Sorry Ten…" She picked herself up to find a place on her bed. The bed bounced slightly upon having her weight. "I didn't know what drove me to make such haste decision but I love him very, very much. And I don't think I can live without him after knowing that he's very serious in having a future with me"

"Do you trust him?"

"This is so not me speaking…" She let out a small laugh as she looked up to her roommate. "But yes I do. With all my heart"

"Although I felt that you might be making a mistake. But if you're happy then, why shouldn't I? Besides, it's not like the wedding's tomorrow. Have you told your dad?"

The smile turned into a frown. "Not yet, but we're planning to meet our parents next week"

"I must admit though, that you're a very lucky girl to be able to tame the wild, rich Uchiha boy," Tenten said with a shrug of understanding as she turned on her PC.

"Really? He's wild, pompous and arrogant all right"

Tenten raised an eyebrow upon hearing Temari's response, a light smile gracing her lips.

"But he's one hell of a kisser"

The brunette's mouth gaped open in disbelief. "You're one hormonal freak you know that? ...But, from the marks on your neck, I couldn't object to your statement"

"Tenten!" Temari threw a cushion pillow and it headed straight towards her roommate. Unfortunately, Tenten was quite reflexive and she caught it with just one hand.

The pair broke into a loud laughter before Tenten urged Temari on the importance of birth control and contraception, much to the blonde's amusement. No matter what, Temari was glad that she could share her secrets and talk about things with Tenten. Things that she can't confide with her 'estranged' father. In a lot of ways, Tenten was like a sister to her. Both shared several similar qualities like interest in martial arts, ardent fans of J-Rock and shared the same dislike of girlish stuffs like most of the spoilt, pampered princesses in their dormitory does.

"Do you mind keeping it down, nerds!" A strained female voice spoke in a harsh tone.

They turned their heads towards the door to find the all too familiar face of Reika Haibara, the so-called hottest and most sought-after girl in Tokyo Univ. The only daughter of one of Japan's richest industrial conglomerate and a cross breed of Asian and English blood. A fact that made her felt like she's levels higher than any other female population in the college and thus, should be treated like royalty or a diva.

'Speaking of princesses. Look who the Devil brought in?' Tenten gritted her teeth in annoyance. The dark-haired she-devil stood elegantly at the doorpost, with a mocking smile on her face and one hand rested on the door whilst the other on her shapely hips. She stood in the same pose that had been in every guy's wild imagination and fantasies. To Tenten, she looked more like she's suffering a back ache and really tried hard to support the weight of her 'artificial' boobs. And not forgetting the "I'm-better-than-Temari-but-the-fact-is-I'm-not" syndrome.

Temari narrowed her eyes at the spoilt brat, standing with her nose in the air. "What do you want Your Royal Crankiness?"

Reika's grin grew more sardonically as she shifted her weight on to one leg, intentionally pushing her chest forward just to piss Temari off. That act alone caused Tenten to roll her eyes in revulsion while restraining herself from gagging. Temari on the other hand, remain unfazed.

"My, my…you're a sarcastic little bitch ain't ya?" Reika spoke in her 'holier-than-thou' attitude. But, before Temari could fend off her spiteful remark, Tenten shot up and stand stiff before the conniving girl. "Who are you calling a bitch!"

Temari looked at her roommate. "Tenten, calm down" And she looked back at their uninvited guest. "And you, what do you want Haibara? If you're looking for trouble, this ain't the place. The Head student's right next door you know"

"Move over, tramp" Reika shoved Tenten aside, causing a hiss from the bun-haired girl. She stepped into the room, eyeing everything inside in distaste with the air of superiority. She walked in her trademark strut that had guys drool over. She's the type of person who was born to be an oppressor. Who believed that girls wanted to be in her shoes and guys wanted to be with her. 'Really, she needs to put out the air in her puny head' Temari thought bitterly. She stopped right in front of Temari who is still sitting on her bed.

"The looks of you just despise me, Sabakuno. Don't be so full of yourself. Who do you think you are to challenge me? I'm far better than you and you know it" She looked down at the pig-tailed blonde and ridiculed her.

Temari just put on a very boring expression while trying to hide her engagement ring away from Reika's sharp piercing gaze. She's not a troublemaker and she doesn't intend to be one today.

Reika grew irritated upon seeing that Temari could remain calm and still unperturbed. And she hates it when Temari, her rival seems in control. She poked at the blonde's right shoulder blade, earning a glare from Temari. "Don't ever touch me"

"If not, what?" She poked again.

Tenten burst out in anger. "Hey, push her again, I'm gonna bust your brain!"

Reika turned her head around with disgust. "Oh, it seems like your lap dog's angry, Temari"

Temari's patience had reached its limit. "That's it! You can mess with me, but you don't mess with my friends, or I'll make sure your life's a living hell. And I'm sure Little Princess Reika won't like it one bit"

The snobbish girl scoffed in return. "You arrogant chit. I don't know what Itachi-sama sees in you. You're harsh, un-ladylike. He should've been with someone better"

Tenten laughed sarcastically. "Like you? Give me a break"

Reika's icy glare was fixed sharply at Temari. "I'm gonna let him see what kind of person you really are, Temari. Then he'll know that I'm the woman that he really wants"

Temari let out a bitter laugh. "I've been hearing that sentence for uncountable times now that it started to burn my ears. Good luck with that, Haibara. Now, I know you can find your way out" She tilted her head towards the oak-wood door.

Reika growled in dissatisfaction. She strode towards the door, stomping her stilettos on the carpet. Before she walked out, she glowered at Temari. Like a cobra hissing of defeat at a more significant eagle. "I always get what I want, Sabakuno. And, I've set my sights on Itachi-sama, I'll never give up on him"

'This bitch is insane!' Tenten shook her head and decided to drop the anvil on the brainless female. "Hey Haibara! I've got news for you-"

"Tenten, no…-"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Uchiha's taken. He's engaged to Temari" Tenten finished the sentence with a satisfied expression on her face while Temari could only slap her forehead in response.

"WHAT!" Reika shouted. Her eyes widened in skepticism. "That is one nasty joke"

"This is not a joke. It's true. They're getting married. So, you might as well find another guy"

"Liars! That's a cheap trick you're pulling, Sabakuno. You are a slu-"

"Yo! We're finished here" Temari raised her hands in front of her, unintentionally flashing her newly-engagement ring, much to the other girl's dismay.

Tenten decided to drive Reika up the wall by saying, "If you think we're lying, you should ask 'Itachi-sama' himself. But, don't bother. You'll only be hearing the same thing. You should realize something though, Haibara. No matter what you try, Temari will always be light years ahead of you. You couldn't even be half the person she is"

The door was slammed shut by one unsatisfied and bridling heiress.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Kobe, August 2000_

**SLAP!**

She knew that coming here wasn't a good idea from the start but her fiancé insisted that they do. Instead of the blessing that they hoped, they got cursing in return. Temari's hand move to cover her now reddening skin. She could feel the hot, stinging pain on her cheek. Tears had started to pool at the brims of her turquoise eyes. She couldn't believe that her father had hit her in front of the household.

"Daddy!" She tried to touch her father's shoulder only to be heaved away by the 45 year old business mogul. Temari almost fell to the cold, marble floor on her knees. Save for a pair of warm, familiar hands. Her fiancé helped her to stand up on her wobbly legs as he held her close in his arms.

"Do you realize the consequences of your action? How dare you defy me, Temari? You ungrateful daughter!" Her father's loud voice thundered throughout the living room of the large mansion of the Sabakuno family.

Itachi's hand tightened around Temari's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Sir, we assure you that we do not came here to defy you or-"

"Silence! This is between me and my daughter"

Itachi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He's starting to lose his temper. "Sir, I came here with respect to ask for your daughter's hand in a proper way"

"This is not a place for you to speak, boy"

"How can I shut myself up when you're disrespecting you own daughter!" Itachi exclaimed at the older man. Temari looked up at Itachi while pleading a silent 'no' only to be ignored by him. For once, she swore she could see Itachi's jet-black eyes turned into a forebodingly crimson color.

"Don't you dare tell me how I handle my family, young man. Anyway, what could I expect from a typical Uchiha. Ill-mannered and so full of yourself. You feel so mighty high that you just couldn't grip into reality and you wouldn't care what other people think" Temari's dam broke that instant. Fresh tears started to roll down her rosy cheeks, burning into the strike mark her father imprinted before.

"You may not bringing my family into this, 'Sir'-"

He received a glare from the portentous man. "It's not enough that your father had almost burnt my business into ashes and now, he had his son trying to ruin this family by stealing my daughter from me!"

Temari decided she had enough.

"Daddy, stop. This is not about your business or whatever happened between you and Itachi's father. This is about me." She placed her shaky hands to her heart. "My happiness. Do you even care how I feel?" She gasped once before inhaling once again. She closed her eyes once, letting another pearl-shaped tear sliding down her disappointed face. "I don't want to negotiate with a businessman; I want to have a talk with my father"

The towering figure of her father turned his back against them. "Then, I can't help you with that. This meeting is over"

"Daddy, no!"

The slightly aged face of her father did not display any betraying emotion. In a monotonous tone, he dropped the tail end of the situation. "You can no longer call me that, young lady. I deny your existence in this family and from my will. Starting now, I had never had any daughter, especially one who dared to go against my words and dared to fraternize with my enemy's son. You're a disappointment"

"No! No! Daddy, please" Temari shook her head in disbelief, trying to broke out from Itachi's hold only to be pulled back by him.

"George!" The old man barked, calling out for one of the butlers. A middle-aged man, dressed in tux appeared. "Yes, Sir?" He asked in perfect English.

"Show them the way out" George bowed in obedience and started to make his way towards the young couple. The young man stood rigid, with George's young mistress held protectively in his hands. She was practically sobbing and refused to look at George, who had been like her father to her, in the eye.

Itachi raised his hand at George. "We can certainly find our way out. Thank you"

George could only watch helplessly with his old, gray eyes as the couple turned around to make their exit.

But Itachi wouldn't do so until he gave Temari's father a piece of his mind. "What happened between you and my father is not my doing. Temari was wrong about you. You are an irresponsible, cold-hearted man who does not deserve the right to sire such a wonderful woman like her. That is one fact that I admit I owe to you"

George could see the corners of his master's lips curved into a frown.

"Speak what you want, boy. When you go to your father, don't be surprised if he treats you the same way. In reality, your father is way more vindictive than me"

Itachi walked away, his hand gripped Temari's in a tight lock. Temari looked back with tears streaming down her cheeks as she took upon her father's image, one last time. She found it difficult to move but Itachi's strength was all she needed. She gave her favorite butler a small, bitter smile before she stepped out of the door. Away from this house…forever.

George's eyes drooped low in sympathy. 'I'm very sorry, Lady Temari. No matter where you are, 'ol George's prayers and blessings will always be with you'. He couldn't help but let a single tear dropped down his slightly wrinkled skin as the family that he had served for more than three decades came to such an end. An unforgettable event that will be forever marked in the family's history, in irony to the exclusion of a family member's existence.

'I could only hope that young master Kankurou and young master Gaara won't go on a rampage when they find out what happened today'

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Tokyo, August 2000_

The Uchiha family was one family who roots deeply for tradition and they rather die before breaking any one of them. The conventionality includes family business, acquaintances of the same social status, rivals, full obedience to the head of the family and last but not least, arranged marriages.

And, today…a family member is determined to break that restricting tradition and it all because of…

"Love?" The older Uchiha laughed upon his own remark, as if the foreign word was only meant for idiotic people. He rested himself on his personal chair, made from imported leather. Donning a designer's executive suit and a pipe in one hand, that man held an aura of power and high pride. His dark eyes fixed on his own flesh and blood, his eldest son who inherited his spark, spunk and desire for power. Unfortunately, that's not what he is seeing right now. His eyes were of the ones in love. He looked weak. Pathetic.

He scanned over the golden-haired girl sitting beside his son, intimately close. High cheekbones, slightly tanned yet clear skin, free of freckles or blemish. And not forgetting, well-endowed with a proportional height. She looked like a typical rich man's daughter though it completely contrasted with the fact that she was an orphan, according to Itachi. Yes, she's beautiful. So what? He had seen many other young women, far more beautiful and perfect than this girl. Not to mention, from the same social status and prestigious families. Far more suitable for his son.

"I though you had better judgment, son" He said in a deep, low voice before taking a smoke from his cigar.

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I believed that I'm doing the right thing by marrying the woman that I love" Itachi spoke confidently, although he seemed to be less interested in the conversation. All he wanted was to introduce his future wife to his family and they could carry on with their respective lives.

The older man posed a questioning gaze to Temari. "How old are you, girl?"

Hesitantly, she dared herself to stare back into the threatening glare with almost the same intensity. "22, Uchiha-sama"

"And, my son's 23. Still young enough to make such big decisions in life, no? Don't you think so?"

"Pardon me, Uchiha-sama. Age does not determine a person's capability to live independently and make decisions concerning their life on their own"

"Temari…" Itachi grumbled in a warning tone.

"What?" She turned her head to the raven-haired man and found his face formed a disappointing look. "You stood up for me before, why can't I do the same?"

Itachi replied in a whispered-like tone. "This is different. Let me do all the talking, okay?"

It brought a shock to the older man. For all these times, no one had dared to speak back to him. Not even his sons. This girl was something alright and he now knew what had caught his son's attention.

"As much as I'm impressed with your guts girl, I could see that you're hot-headed as well. Unfortunately, that's not the kind of woman that I want my son to socialize with. You see, I have planned his future long before he was born and somehow, you are not in it"

"Father!" Itachi snapped. He couldn't believe that this was the same man that he grew to respect years before.

Ignoring his son, his eyes never leave the silhouette of the young girl. His tone grew harder as he spoke. "I hope you understand this. Our family has our own tradition and I do not want it to be broken by my son just because of love, as he claimed or maybe lust, in my word. He will marry when I said so and he will marry the person that I chose for him. And that is something you cannot change!"

The younger man's temper frayed. "I had enough with this tradition issue. I'm not going through with it" Itachi stood up, grabbing Temari by the hand. "Whether you like it or not, I'm going to marry Temari. No matter what"

His father snickered upon his statement. "With that said, it's clearly visible that you've made up your mind. By refusing the family beliefs, you're refusing to be apart of the family itself. Rest assured that you won't have anything more to do either with this family or the company"

"What do you mean?"

"If you think you're old enough to make your decisions, then you're old enough to make your own living. I won't have anything to do with it"

"Fine. We don't need your money either" He walked composedly to the door, but not before Temari gave the man a slight bow. She was not raised to be ill-mannered, especially to older people, no matter how much she hated that person.

"Come on, Temari"

With that, the couple walked away just like they had before. As they stood outside, Temari pulled Itachi to her. "I'm sorry for everything, Itachi. I never meant for you to fight with your father and having yourself disown and I-"

"Hey, hey…" He cupped her face in his hands and stroked her soft skin, gently. "We're both disowned but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world for us. Our love is strong enough. We'll make it through" He smiled and pulled her into a deep embrace.

Kissing her forehead, he looked down at her. "Against all odds, Tem. We'll make it through"

"Yeah, we will" She gave him a reassuring smile too, the smile that could melt the coldest climate. That's all he needed to move forward.

Oblivious to them, a figure of a teenage boy stood tall behind the glass windows of the manor. Not missing a single moment of the exchange between the young couple.

"Nii-san…" 'He looks really happy for the first time'

"Sasuke…go back to your room"

"Why do you have to fight with nii-san? He didn't do anything wrong. You don't have to throw him out of the house"

"The topic's not up for debate, young man. Don't worry; your brother will be back. He won't last long enough out there" The older man blew out dark, grey smokes after puffing away at his pipe.

The teenage boy grunted in reply, making his way upstairs. All the while mumbling words like 'senile' and 'tobacco addict'.

His eyes trailed along Sasuke, storming upstairs. He had another son, so he doesn't have anything to worry about.

Despite all that, he had high hopes for his eldest and he's not giving up. Taking one last puff, he took out his mobile phone and punched a few buttons.

"I want you to keep a close watch on my eldest"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End Of Chapter 2

End Notes: Sorry if you think that I kinda used just any state names in Japan that I happened to know. Hey, I've never been to Japan but I heard from a few people that Tokyo and Kobe are one of the most modern and lively cities in the Orient country. Even if I'm wrong, let's just pretend it does, ne?

By the way, their old men seem to be mean. I couldn't help but write them like that. However, they are not the main antagonists here. In fact, they are the ones who CREATED the antagonist.

Take care. See ya next chappie! R, R, R & R! (Rest, Relax, Read, Review)

Love,

ardenilia


	4. One Friday Night

Disclaimer: I deny myself from owning Naruto & Company.

**THESE FOOLISH THINGS**

By ardenilia

SUMMARY: What foolish things you ask? Falling in love blindly is one of them of course. Because of this, Temari knew better not to ever trust any man again. Well, that is until Shikamaru came along and voluntary playing a role inside her life; from an 'enemy' to a friend and protector. Just when she thought the windows of her sealed heart will finally be opened once again, her past life and his supposed 'future' came to shatter their dreams and hopes together. AU fic. Modern settings.

Future Pairings: Will soon be revealed gradually. Yes, ShikaTema will not be getting all the limelight to themselves. **The second couple or actually both of them will be featured or even mentioned in this chapter.** Pick a guess! (ardenilia cackles evilly)

Author's Note: Certain chapters had related song. If you could find the songs, try to listen to them. Maybe, you'll see what I see.

**--WARNING--**

This chapter will have some lime-ish elements. I should raise the rating a bit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 3

**One Friday Night**

_Tokyo, 2006_

Present Day

"Jeez…tell me this is not happening?"

_A polyphonic tone resonated in the dark room. A hand shot out from a sea of blankets, groping for something at the nightstand. Grunting slightly, he flipped open his cell phone without bothering to open his eyes or turning on the lamp._

"_Hel-lo…" Miraculously, he had the interest to speak._

"_Yo, man! Yougottagethererightnow! There's an emergency," came the all familiar voice at the other end._

"_Kiba, slow down will you? What happen?"_

"_Just get your butt here! Qui-" The line was cut._

He got here as fast as he could, driving through the streets like a lunatic. He swore the police would accuse him of driving like D.U.I, but heck he didn't care. He felt that something bad had happened to one of his buddies. Mental images of Neji got into a car accident, all bloody and fractured body parts everywhere or Chouji, getting his hands stuck at the food processor machine. But all he could see or what he really wanted to see right now is Kiba, drenched in blood and it all happened by his own hands. Damn it! He wanted to beat the dog-loving man into a bloody pulp. As much as he wanted to, those things require a lot of energy. Things that require energy are so troublesome.

Instead of a heart-pounding scene, he could see Neji, Kiba, Chouji and even Shino lounging at the living room, watching a football game. Beer bottles scattered everywhere, strewed junk food wrappers and several pizza boxes spread opened on the coffee table.

"Yo, Shika! Surprise!" Kiba hollered at the pineapple-hair young man as he held up a beer bottle. He was grinning very smugly, but soon the smirk fade as Shikamaru lunged at him and gave him a noogie. "Sorry, man. Ouch, that hurts!"

"You guys woke me up at 1 am just to watch a football game? You guys are unbelievable!" Shikamaru plopped down on one of the couches, reaching out for his phone in one of the pockets of his Levi's and put it on the table.

A plump young man offered him some chips. "Sorry, Shika. We wanted to spend guys' night in. If we didn't make it sound like an emergency, you wouldn't bother to come"

Shikamaru's eyes gazed lazily at the home theater screen, recognizing Figo attempting to breach the opponent's defense. "Hey, Shino. Don't tell me you went along with these guys's trick too?"

"Hnn…" Came the silent reply, but nevertheless with a look of amusement on his face.

"I hate it when you guys knew me too well" The dark-haired former law student scratch the back of his neck and sighed.

"Besides…" Neji spoke up. "…this might be the last time we get to spend together as buddies. Chouji's flying off on Sunday and you're starting your new job next Monday, not to mention you've moved back in with your parents"

"I'm not moving back with them, I'm giving my mom a company when my dad went on an out-station for 3 months. When he gets home, I'll be back here" Shikamaru noticed a medium-sized dog, appeared from upstairs. "Akamaru, here boy" The white dog jumped when he saw the young man and quickly found a comfortable spot on Shikamaru's lap.

Kiba looked at his dog and gave some chips to him. Akamaru ate graciously before pawing an 'invisible' object on Shikamaru's pant legs. "You know Shika, for a 25 year old guy, you are a momma's boy"

"I'm not a momma's boy. She whipped my dad, not me. I got nagged occasionally when I'm home, that's all. By the way, have you finished packing Chouji?"

"Yeah…"

Shikamaru smiled at his chubby childhood friend. Akimichi Chouji and he had been best friends since the day they were born. They went to primary, high school and college together. Soccer clubs, dramas, proms, you name it. The day after tomorrow, Chouji will be flying off to Italy to pursue a career in international cuisine. Yeah, the boy's love for food had certainly given him a chance to go places.

"Hey, Chouji. I hope you'll have a great time in Milan"

"Thanks Shika. I hope you'll be having a great time at your new workplace. I heard it's a very BIG company"

Kiba butted in. "Chouji, man. Don't forget us when you hooked up with a hot Italian chick, huh?"

A small laughter echoed and Shikamaru threw bits of popcorns to the Inuzuka, much to Akamaru's amusement as he barked happily, like he was joining the fun too. "Are girls the only thing you can think of, man? Women are so troublesome"

"Hey, we're healthy young adults. What's wrong with that? If you could recall the fact that we are working, or in your case, worked in a male-dominated firm. There are not many options. Most of the women are married or as old as my mom. That's creepy"

"Yeah…whatever" Neji rolled his eyes. "As long as we carry our private matters outside the 'bachelor's den'. You can make your love nest someplace else, not here"

Kiba makes a boring face to Neji. "Yes, mon capitan. It's easy for you to say, Mr I'm-too-good-for-girls. If you keep brushing off those fan-girls of yours, we might be questioning your sexual preferences, Hyuuga"

The silver-eyed young tax attorney just shrugged "Hey, the right one hasn't come yet. I'm choosing the best. Don't worry; if I ever turned out to be gay I'm not gonna hook up with one of you guys. That's pure horror to me"

"Yeah…yeah, Neji. I sw-"

And their bantering continues until the early dawn breaks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light from the study lamp in her home office burnt into her slightly drowsy eyes. She stretched her rigid figure and let out a long relief sigh when the bones in her body cracked softly. The clock showed that the time now was 2 o'clock in the morning and no wonder she felt so exhausted and her muscles felt stiff. She's been sitting at the chair for almost 5 hours straight. She blinked at the stacks of paperwork in front of her, her lips pulled into a straight line. "I need some coffee" And when she turned the chair around to stand up, she was greeted by her maid, a very warm-hearted and friendly English lady. The 60 year old gray-haired woman was holding a peach floral printed mug.

"Coffee, ma'am?"

"Josie, what are you doing to be still up right now?"

"I should be asking the same to you" Josephine smiled as she stepped into the small room and gave the warm porcelain to her employer. The sweet smell of freshly brewed Arabica coffee wafted through her nose and she took a sip from the mug. Savoring the taste with appreciation.

"Thank you so much for the coffee, Josie. You really read my mind"

"I believe it runs in the family"

"Yeah…Have a seat, Josie" The mug was safely placed on top of the working table, just beside her son's picture. "Did Hiro bring a lot of trouble to you today?"

Josephine shook her head. "Besides refusing to sleep until Spongebob the movie ends, no trouble at all. Goodness, why did they ever produced such long movies. I could still hear the yellow sponge's shrill voice ringing in my ears"

Temari couldn't help but laughed at the older woman's comical gestures. "As much as we hated it, Mr. Sponge had been teaching him English. Oh yeah, Josie, have I told you that this Monday Hiro is going to kindergarten?"

"Yes, you did ma'am. You don't have to worry about anything"

"I promised to send him to school on his first day, although I'm quite reluctant to live him all by himself. He might be scared"

"Young master Hiro is quite a fearless person. The next thing you know, he'll be the one telling you to go to your office and leave him there"

"Really? I wonder where he got that…" She trailed subconsciously.

"You're saying something, ma'am?"

"No, no"

"Miss Tenten called at 10 o'clock. Since you were busy in the office, she just left a message"

Temari took another sip of her coffee. "What did she say?"

"She'll be arriving at the Narita airport tomorrow at 12 pm and she said she'll get home by herself"

"Stubborn woman. Nah…I'll pick her up"

"And, Mister Kakashi called 2 times since you got back. But, he too didn't want to disturb you, ma'am"

Temari looked clueless. "What does he wants?"

Josephine put on a knowing smile on her motherly face. "Perhaps, he wanted to ask you out. After all, it's a Friday night. Young people should be out having some fun"

"Young? He's almost forty"

"He's on the right side of 40 and still unattached. Besides, he seems to be a nice gentleman" The older woman smirked.

"Yeah, if he could take his eyes off his porn books" Then, reality sunk in the blonde's pig-tailed head. "Now, now Josie. Hold on" Josephine just raised her eye brow in amusement.

"Are you saying…"

"I'm not implementing anything, ma'am. But, he's been there even before I've started working with you. I haven't known him long enough, but you do"

Temari crossed one arm across her chest while the other cradled her face. "He's good, alright. But he will always be like a big brother to me and I don't want him to think that I'm leading him on. Besides, I've been through a very hard time with my ex-husband. I just don't think I want to be suffering for the second time, because looks can be deceiving" Her fingers ran along the escaping curls from her hair ties.

"I just want you to be happy, ma'am" With that said, Josephine stood up to take a leave. "I believe that you'll making the right choice not for yourself, but your son too. I'll excuse myself now. Goodnight ma'am"

"Goodnight, Josie"

Her dark green eyes followed the figure of the older woman until she disappeared and closed the door behind her.

"_Honey, what's wrong?" She swept back the bangs covering his forehead. His eyes were a crimson red. He looked like he would shed tears any time._

"_I felt like a failure. I failed myself, I failed you. I wanted to be stronger and more powerful, but just look at our situation. We looked pitiful" He looked around the small space they called home for almost 10 months since their wedding. Truthfully, it wasn't a comfortable place for a family to live, but that is all they could afford with their current situation. Good jobs are hard to find these days and Temari knew that working as a meager junior office clerk does not suit Itachi's qualifications of being a first class honors student. He's a highly ambitious person and used to live lavishly as an heir to a big business empire. He's not used to working hard just to survive for the day._

_She placed her hands on his broad, tense shoulders and started massaging him. "I know, honey. That's why I asked for your permission to find a job too"_

"_And risk having other men taking advantage of you?"_

"_I know how to take care of myself, anata. Don't you trust me?"_

"_I have a beautiful wife and I don't like sharing you with other people or even having them fixed their eyes on you. I keep what's mine" He said in an uncompromising and possibly a warning tone._

_Her hands stopped. Itachi had never spoke in that tone to her. She could sense the danger contained in his voice. Although, she was slightly annoyed that Itachi referred her as an object of his possession, the slight threatening fear overcomes her aggravation._

_She was too busy mulling over by herself that she didn't realized that his hands had been fumbling with the buttons of her blouse, unfastening them one by one with such haste. He grunted when he saw that she was wearing several pieces of clothing underneath the now-discarded blouse. The next thing she knew, she was pinned to the small couch as he nibbled on the tender skin around her neck and collarbones, trailing hard, wet kisses on every inch of skin exposed to his eyes . His talented hands lifted the hem of her thin chemise, took it off her head and threw the helpless cloth onto the floor, revealing everything he yearned to see. His crimson eyes shone with a feral glint in the dimly lit room as he looked down at her. "Mine. You'll always be mine" His husky voice snarled dangerously low, and dipped down to bruise her lips with hot, demanding bites and kisses. Their breaths mingled while he took off his shirt with quick movements that Temari didn't noticed it until she felt his bare chest brushing against hers. He pulled on the strings of her Capri pants and just as he grabbed to pull the waistband down, she gasped against his lips._

"_Itachi, stop!"_

"_What now?"_

"_I need to take the pill" She tried to get up but was pushed down by the man on top of her._

"_Screw it, Tem! I want you. Now!" His voice was forceful and demanding._

"_But...-"_

"_Shh…"He silenced her with yet another kiss, but in a rather tormenting way. He tugged her hair ties away in an instant, letting the golden locks flowed and framed her heart-shaped face like a halo. As the last piece of clothing between them was disposed, she closed her eyes slowly. Deeply, she was scared to see the unrecognizable expression on his face. _

'_He's under pressure. Let him do what he wants, Temari. You know how he will react if he was refused' Her conscience got the best of her._

_And there were no longer sounds of protests but only muffled moans, groans and cries of bliss in a frenzied peak._

The clock struck 3 and it brought her back to reality. A single tear had rolled down her face and she quickly wiped it aside. She got shivers up to her spine and she wasn't sure whether it was because of the chill inside the room or because of the cold, haunting reminiscence. "Get a grip Temari. Don't waste your time by thinking about that selfish man" She spoke nervously to herself. Her heart beat two times faster. She was a bold woman but back at that time, she couldn't help but feel afraid, powerless and lonelier than ever.

The paperwork suddenly looked more interesting than before.

'**Love is blind. But marriage is a real eye opener'**

**RIDE OR DIE**

**- Jennifer Lopez -**

I don't understand why I'm crazy over you,

I don't know what to do,

I don't understand why I'm crazy over you,

I don't know what to do,

If I had to,

I would give up everything just to feel and be with you,

If I had to,

I would pawn the ring you gave to me just to feed you,

If I had to,

I would give my very last breath just to help save you,

If I had to,

I would tell a lie just because I know you are the truth,

I'd ride for you,

Cuz you're the truth,

I'd die for you,

Ooh cuz I'm a fool in love with you,

And I'll do anything that pleases you,

Only you

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End Of Chapter 3

End Notes: Before you say anything, let me apologize first. I didn't expect to put lime elements in this fic, but it just happened. I hope I didn't offend any of you guys.

Tried to listen to the songs I've recommended for certain chapters. It'll add to the feel.

Take care. See ya next chappie! R, R, R & R! (Rest, Relax, Read, Review)

Love,

ardenilia


	5. The Ice Queen & The Sexist King

Disclaimer: I deny myself from owning Naruto & Company.

**THESE FOOLISH THINGS**

By ardenilia

STORY SYNOPSIS: What foolish things you ask? Falling in love blindly is one of them of course. Because of this, Temari knew better not to ever trust any man again. Well, that is until Shikamaru came along and voluntary playing a role inside her life; from an 'enemy' to a friend and protector. Just when she thought the windows of her sealed heart will finally be opened once again, her past life and his supposed 'future' came to shatter their dreams and hopes together. AU fic. Modern settings.

Future Pairings: Will soon be revealed gradually. Yes, ShikaTema will not be getting all the limelight to themselves.

Author's Note: For you guys who are not familiar with my other stories, you need to know that the words in **_italics_** are flashbacks unless there's a year written for a certain part.

I'd like to personally thank and dedicate this chapter to all of my reviewers namely **t3ddiE0x**, **LaZyEnErGeTiC**, **kitsune203**, **Super Lucky Tiki Charm**, **'.Serene. Panda.'**, **Yazumi skulls**, **Dev and Kat**, **Gaa Saku**, **Rama chan**, **Kisshu-luv**, **fullmetalchick101** and **animefireiceprincess**. I can't thank you guys enough and you guys are really the best! I love you all!

Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 4

**The Clash of the Ice Queen & the Sexist King**

_Tokyo, 2006_

Present Day

"Are you sure you're gonna be fine Hiro-chan?"

"Yes, mummy. You can go to work now" Her son chirped happily as he hugged Temari for the third time this morning. The blonde could only cross her arms and gave Hiroshi a hesitant look. "I can stay here for a few moments if you want to"

The five year old shook his head while giving her an adorable smile, receiving a ruffle on his raven-colored bangs in return. There was a gleam of assurance in his ebony orbs. "Don't worry, mummy. I can take care of myself"

"I know you would, baby" She groomed his navy blue uniform and tightened the cute, matching tie with much pride.

Hiroshi's cheeky, lively face creased into a sulk. "Don't call me baby at school"

She giggled softly at her son. "Sorry" His attitude reminded her so much like her brother, Kankurou on their first day in pre-school more than two decades ago. So, they stood there together, watching other parents trying to get their hands (and legs) off of their kids. Some crying and teary-eyed and all of them clinging on their parents' feet like their lives depending on it. Deep inside, she couldn't be more grateful that her son is quite braver than she taught. Josie's well-damned right.

A woman of late thirties walked up to the still, perfect statue of mother and son.

"Good morning, ma'am"

"Good morning. You must be the headmistress"

"Yes. My name is Miyoko Sanada. It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Hai, same here Sanada-sensei. I'm Temari and this little man here is my son, Hiroshi" Temari gave the kind and friendly-looking woman a bow and pulled her son closer.

"Aah…Hiroshi-kun, are you ready to start school and have lots of fun with your new friends?"

"Hai…sensei" He looked up at his mother and embraced her legs since he's only as tall as Temari's thighs. She placed a quick peck on her son's head before waving him off, as he walked away with the headmistress. A reflective sigh escaped her glossy lips, knowing that her son's in safe hands.

It's already past 9.25 am when her silver Lexus drove into the underground car park. Office hour will be starting in five minutes and although she had an excuse if she happened to be late that day, but she had a reputation to keep. For four and a half consecutive years, she had never acquired a single red mark on her punch card, ever. Not to be boastful but she had always been a self-disciplined and organized person, ever since she went into kindergarten, much to the contrary of Kankurou. 'Speaking of that brat, how are he and Gaara doing?'

There was a black Sedan in front of her, moving at a snail speed. Well, this was certainly not a very 'fun' way to start your day at the office when you only have 5 minutes to kill. Oh, second thought…make that LESS than five minutes and this jerk is so gonna ruin her day.

She pressed on the horns, albeit softly but still could magnificently threw any passers-by to jump in shock. A few seconds and still no response from the driver upfront nor did that dude bothered to increase his speed a little bit and Temari did not like this 'ignorance' at all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru tried to remain calm but still he felt slightly agitated when he got honked by a car behind him. He took a quick glance from his rear-view mirror and he could make out that the driver was a young lady and a quite impatient one at that. Oh great, your day couldn't get any worse. You've been thrown out of your own bed this morning by your nagging mom at 5 o'clock in the morning, got another helping of lecture on the importance of punctuality on your first day of work at a new place when you just placed your butt at the dinner table, got pestered by the old lady next door who's keen on fixing you up with her niece and NOW you've got a lady who found honking at your butt…er…car's butt a very enjoyable thing to do and just would not leave you alone. Great. And people asked him why all women were 'evil' to him? Shikamaru groaned to himself. Gee, go figure.

Another honk made him jolted on his seat.

"Yeah…yeah lady. Don't get over-excited" He glanced into the small mirror again, muttering, "I'm driving too here. Jeez, where are the empty parking spaces here when you NEED one?" He scouted around the filled spaces amongst the seas of vehicles of many colors and kinds.

A stray cat (wonder how it got there?) ran across in front of his car in a flash, causing him to step on his brake automatically, making the car halted to a sudden stop. There were sounds of screeching tyres followed by a sound of honking. Again. Guess, Shikamaru wasn't the only one experiencing the impact.

A door of the car was opened. Sneaking a peek at his side-mirror, a golden-haired woman walked out of the silver car and walked out towards his direction. 'Oh shit! She's gonna kill me! Damn troublesome woman. Lord, you could've chosen another day to punish me' Still, as lazy as he could be, he stepped out of his vehicle and found himself face to face with a furious looking, although quite attractive and well-endowed looking female. The dark-haired man slapped himself mentally. Damn it, Shikamaru. Attractive? Well-endowed? Are you blind? You're talking about an annoyed, fuming, hot-tempered person who looked like she's gonna morph into a rabid hell-cat anytime soon and claw your heart out. Shikamaru gulped.

"What do you think you're doing buddy? You could've dragged us into an accident!" The woman spoke harshly at him, hands crossed in front of her chest. _-cough-_ Why am I staring at her chest again? Oh yeah, to prove that she's a woman. First time they've met and she already called him 'buddy' while almost shouting at him. Women, he could never understand them.

She snapped her hands in front of his eyes. "Hello? Over here" Temari rolled her eyes in disbelief. Did this guy just stare at her breast? What a loser! All men are the same. She bit on her lower lip to help restrain herself from lashing out at this guy. When she looked at his boring facial expression, she wanted to strangle his scrawny neck because she thought that he was mocking her and not taking her seriously.

He muttered "Troublesome woman" under his breath while looking like he just wanted to get his butt out of there and find some spot to sleep.

"Listen lady, there was a cat and it just ran across the lane all of a sudden"

"A cat?" This man is ridiculous! "That's the stupidest reason I've ever heard"

"Hey, that's the truth"

"Hnn…whatever. If you're looking for a Sunday drive, this ain't the place. My granny could drive faster and better than you" She turned around hastily, the sounds of rustling fabric reached his ears. The woman stormed off towards her luxurious car.

Woman or not woman. Shikamaru was not a person to admit something that he didn't do or intended to do. "I have no intention to provoke you, lady, although it'll be quite interesting but that is so troublesome. Anyway, I'd love to meet your grandma. I bet she's a nice old lady"

The blonde woman snorted in reply before she got into her car.

Shikamaru looked at his first 'acquaintance' until she drove off in a terrifying speed, leaving clouds of smokes and dust to him. He coughed while managed to say "Troublesome".

Then he looked at his wrist watch. 9.32 am.

'I'm late'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The President's secretary took the time to personally show him around the office and introduced him to the prominent figures in the company. After a brief meeting with the head of the company, it was still a surprise to know that the President was a woman. He had heard from his father and his business partners that Tsunade-sama was one of the most successful and beautiful women in the business & corporate world in Japan. Although the picture is quite different with the one he's seeing right now. Tsunade looked like as if she had just woken up from the piles of paperwork on her big table. Thankfully, the flaxen-haired woman was in a good mood so, he came clean about the part where he was late because of an encounter with a mad person, much to Tsunade's amusement.

After a few short introductions with the board members, Shizune-san led him to the 25th floor where he would meet the Executive Director that goes by the name of Hatake Kakashi. As a matter of fact, they stumbled upon him when he was on his way out to the restroom. The silver-haired man had most of his face covered with only one eye visible but overall Shikamaru knew he was a good and responsible leader.

Kakashi took out his usual reading material from the pockets of his dark gray jacket causing Shikamaru to raise his eyebrow in confusion and Shizune to sweat-drop. He's a grown man and he's well aware of what kind of book his boss is actually reading. 'At least he's honest'

A few minutes later, they made a stop in front of a door that bears a black and gold-intricate sign of Assistant Executive Director. Shizune knocked on the door twice and after receiving a reply from the inside, she opened the door with the never-fading smile on her sweet, radiant face.

"Morning Temari-san. I'd like to introduce you to our new legal advisor"

The woman who was sitting on the chair with her back against her new visitors, turned around with a beam on her beautiful face. "Morning, Shizune-san"

Her eyes went wide. His mouth gaped open.

"YOU!" They hollered in a perfect unison; tone and expression.

Now, Shikamaru knew what people meant when they say 'save the BEST for last'. Man, he got the BEST shock of the century. He wished he could drop dead on the floor that time and never wake up until next year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He rubbed his aching head as soon as he loosened his black silk tie. Lines started to appear on his clear forehead and he yawned boringly. It's no use moping in aggravation but Shikamaru had to admit that Destiny had a really funny way in his messing his life. Who knew, on the first day of his new job, he got into a verbal sparring with one of his supposedly 'new' colleague.

"_YOU!"_

_There was a long pause as they glared daggers towards each other. If looks could kill, both of them would've turned into dust and the cleaner would have a very hard time to scrub them off the floor._

_The woman asked suspiciously at him. "What are you doing here?"_

_He adjusted his necktie a little bit. "Duh…I worked here?"_

"_Liar. I've never seen you before!"_

"_I just reported in today"_

_Before the mad woman from the car park could utter more word, Shizune beat her into that. Apparently, Shizune was clueless to the death-defining situation at that moment._

"_Anou…Temari-san. I was just going to introduce you guys to each other but it seems that you've met before. Anyway, Shikamaru-san this is Temari-san, the Assistant Executive Director. Temari-san, this is Nara Shikamaru, our new legal consultant"_

"_I can't believe they picked you!"_

_Shikamaru grinned smugly. "You just can't help it, can you…'Temari-san'?"_

"_Anou…Temari-san, Shikamaru-san…" Shizune looked quite confused as she tried to break the soon-to-be argument as she realized that their banter had started to attract unwanted spectators amongst the staffs at the level. Alas, it was a futile attempt as she stared at them, completely not missing any one of their words._

"_I still haven't forgotten about this morning, you cocky Pineapple-head!"_

"_Tch…you left me suffocated back there"_

_(Insert a chibi Shizune here). "Anou…minna-san…"_

_Again, no response. Shizune started to feel that she had become invisible despite the reddening of her face because of embarrassment. 'Tsunade-sama's not gonna like this'_

"_Stop making idiotic reasons, moron"_

"_Really, I thought that was the term they used to call the person that you saw in the mirror this morning, you mad woman"_

"_I don't think I'm gonna like you!"_

"_The feelings mutual"_

"_Yo, what's going on here?" A low, gravelly voice interrupted the conversation before it took a worst turn. Shizune was so glad when she saw the face of her savior. 'Thank goodness you're here, Kakashi-kun'_

_Kakashi cleared his throat a little bit as he walked into the room to see a fuming Temari, a bothered-looking Shikamaru and a glaring contest to-the-death between them. "Shizune-chan, I believe that you'd want to show Shikamaru-kun his office, am I right?"_

_The black-haired young woman's blushing face turned a shade deeper as she bowed down to Kakashi in respect and in relieve. "Hai…Kakashi-san. Arigatou. We'll be making our way now. Ikuze, Shikamaru-san"_

_Shizune unexpectedly dragged the young newbie away from the room into a destination that he's not aware of but nevertheless much to his liking. Before he disappeared with Shizune-san, he posed a glance from the corners of his eyes and he saw that Kakashi had closed the door from the inside of the room. He weighed the possibilities that he might be messing with his boss's most trusted subordinate…or maybe more than that._

His small, dark orbs lingered around his new office. The spacious room reeked of fresh paint and Shikamaru still thought it was quite comfortable, compared to when he had been at the hell-cat's room before. Speaking of the hell-cat, why on earth did they put his office just a few doors from her anyway? 'Dammit, why am I thinking about her again?'

He sighed and muttered 'troublesome' for the umpteenth time that day.

The door was rapped from the outside.

"Yes…Come in"

The door was opened and a man who looked no older than Shikamaru appeared. He had spiky yellow hair and toothy grin on his face as he stepped into Shikamaru's office.

"Good morning, Shikamaru-san"

"Hai, hai…good morning"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you. Kakashi-sempai asked me to drop by and give you this. Here you go, Shikamaru-san" Naruto handed a few thick books to him. From the titles, he could see that they were documentation of the company's policies, laws and cases records.

"Thanks Naruto-kun. Please have a seat. And I hope you could just call me Shikamaru. I think honorifics are really a hassle"

Naruto nodded in understanding before he took a spot on one of the cushioned chairs in front of the table. Although the dark-haired man had only reported today, his leadership and inter-personal skills were highly-developed and visible. He felt that his respect for the young, new officer had risen to a higher level. 'He was quite humble for a person with a high position'

He suddenly remembered another thing that he wanted to talk about with Shikamaru.

"Anou-sa, Shikamaru"

"Yep, anything wrong?"

"I just wanna say sorry for Temari-san's behalf…" Naruto let out in a slow, easy drawl although quite hesitantly at first.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow in a 'huh' expression. "Why are you apologizing for her? You have anything to do with what happe-…heh, how did you know?"

"I kinda over heard, basically the whole floor did"

Shikamaru dropped his head on the table. "Oh man…the first time we've met and I've embarrassed myself in front of the whole office. What's next? A pack of rebelling feminists?"

"…I though you guys were old friends?"

"I just met that she-devil at the parking lot this morning and believe me, I've never met a more troublesome woman than she is"

"Heheh…you did? By the way, they don't call her a she-devil. The guys called her an 'ice-queen'"

"What did she do to you guys?"

"She cursed us a lot" Shikamaru burst into a loud mirth. "Seriously, she did. I have to go through the same nerve-racking process every time I went to see her. Believe me. Writing reports are much more fun than submitting them to her. Just ask the guys, they all were really petrified of her"

"Feh…she's just PMSing"

"Every time?"

"If you guys can't stand her, why don't you report this to the higher-level?"

"No matter how strict and cranky Temari-san can be, she's an extremely hardworking and dedicated woman and she is highly-respected amongst the board members. She's just cold towards the guys, especially the slackers. Besides that, she's nice to the ladies"

"That is still discrimination, Naruto"

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders while brushing his spiky hair. "Nah…there must be a reason why she's being the person she is. Sometimes, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her"

"…"

"I'm in no position to tell you about other people's personal lives, but Kakashi-sempai had once told me that Temari-san had been in a hard and difficult situation when she was younger. She's just afraid of having the same thing happened to her again. I felt like I dislike her harsh ways but sometimes I just think that she needed someone to complement her and show her that life has so much to offer"

Shikamaru relaxed against the chair as he listened to his new colleague's opinion. He realized that although Naruto didn't want to admit it but secretly, the blonde, happy-go-lucky lad had always thought of that 'ice-queen' as an older sister. From the one conversation, he had learnt a lot about the young man in front of him. His father died when his mother is still carrying him and she died when she gave birth to him. Poor kid. Ever since, he lived with his uncle, Iruka who happened to be an old friend of Kakashi.

Despite the loud and sometimes obnoxious exterior, Shikamaru knew that Naruto is a great and caring person and a good friend to boot. At least there's someone that he could be friends with here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later on that night, Shikamaru got back to his parent's house just in time for dinner. His mother, Yoshino had been preparing a specially-made chilli mackerel in the kitchen. He could smell the spicy yet deliciously inviting aroma drifted through the air. There are times when he thought his mom was bossy, annoying and loud. Despite all facts, she never failed to show that she loved him and his father more than anything in the world. She liked to push his buttons all the time but she knew how to cheer him up after a hard day at the office; by making his favorite dish for dinner.

"I'm back…" The words fell slowly from his lips in his usual lackluster tone.

Her mother's head appeared from the doorjamb, taking a peek to see who it is. "Aye, you're back already?" She received an annoyed mumble in reply. An amusing grin etched on her slightly aged but beaming face.

'Do you want me to be some place else, mom?' His mouth was itching to let those words out but alas, he knew better. He wasn't called a young genius for nothing. He had enough of lectures for today and he's getting tired. "I thought you're the one who called me to get back home straight away and never go astray down town?"

"I don't want you to waste time doing useless things out there when you could have a proper rest at home, young man. How's your first day of work in the new place?"

"So-so. Besides, I went to have a tea, whatever with a few colleagues"

"Good. You should invite them over for dinner or something, sometimes"

"Yeah, I'll invite Naruto and a few of the guys one day"

"Guys? Don't they have women at the office?"

"A whole lot of them. In fact, I've had a trouble with a mad woman at the car park this morning, she scorned at me, made me late and somehow I found out that she happened to be the E.D's assistant, and she scorned at me again. But, anyway most of the women are either getting on my nerves, boss-" He obtained a very fierce look from the older woman. He shook his head. "…I mean they're my boss, higher level, whatever…What's up with you asking about the females in my office all of a sudden, mom?" He placed himself at the square-shaped table while his eyes glued to his mother's back. She was stirring something on the stove but that doesn't mean that the conversation had ended. Still, with her back against his direction, Yoshino spoke up. "Shikamaru, I'm tired of having Mrs. Tanaka next door pestering me about coaxing you into dating that goody-goody, doe-eyed, stuck-up niece of hers. If you keep having those sexist comments of yours, you're really getting on my nerves"

10 years ago, she would have smacked him hard at his head but now, her son's already a grown man. She can't just resolve into using her old tricks to put some sense into him. It might not seem like it, but as the time goes by, Yoshino learnt to tackle issues with him by having a mature and open conversation.

"Troublesome, noisy old woman"

"Shikamaru!"

"Hai…sorry, mom. The truth is I'm too lazy to find a girl. I just can't help it. Besides, a man can survive being a bachelor for a very long time"

"What am I gonna do about you? I'm getting older day by day and I'd like to see that you settle down-"

"And give you lots of grandchildren to play with…but I'm just 25!"

"-I'm not finish! Don't cut into my words, Shikamaru"

"Jeez, sorry…" He rested his hands on the table, cradling his slightly unexcited face, although you could see that he actually tried really hard to pretend that he's into the conversation.

The older woman's shoulder-length hair bounced when she talked, ignoring her son's façade. "As I was saying, you should start thinking about getting married"

He sighed, signaling his defeat. "Alright, mom. If it's gonna make you happy, I'll let you do whatever you want and I'll think about it. BUT, make sure that she's not too beautiful and not too ugly, okay?"

Yoshino just shook her head in reply.

Shikamaru hadn't known a lot of female figure to be comfortable with in his life. The only female that he could understand (or tolerate in that matter) was his mother, his old Maths teacher Matsumoto-sensei (that's because she could put up with him sleeping during her class because he happened to be a top scorer in the subject) and Ino, his childhood and also a family friend. The last time he saw her was the moment he sent her off at the airport. She accepted the offer to pursue her fashion & designs advanced degree in Paris. It has been four years now and he wondered how she was doing abroad. She sent him letters and e-mails sometimes but he was either too busy or too lazy to reply back to her.

Heh. For all the times he'd spent with Ino and Chouji during their high school days, he swore that the blonde who happened to be a former cheerleader and prom queen was really loud, rambunctious and annoying at times. But, nevertheless they were best friends and he couldn't deny that he had missed them both a lot now that they're far away.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tenten rolled on the floor of the living room, clutching her abs as she burst out with laughter. Temari just gave her an 'are-you-for-real' look while Hiroshi who was grossing over the evening drama on the TV just looked clueless at both of the women.

"Tenten! I'm serious"

The brunette wiped away some tears as she took in some air. "I'm sorry, it's just…fu…really amusing. He's the same guy who you met at the parking lot?"

"Yeah, and then I told him "Stop making idiotic reasons, moron" and you know what he said back to me?"

"What?"

Temari did her best in imitating the said man's voice. "Really, I thought that was the term they used to call the person that you saw in the mirror this morning, you mad woman"

"He did? Wow, that's the first time a man dared to spew out to you. He earned my respect"

Temari let out a loud huff as a sign of frustration. "Tenten, I thought you're on my side?"

"I am. So what's his name? Is he cute?"

She flipped the pages of a woman's magazine subconsciously while she tried to recall the day's events and namely a person with dark hair tied in a high ponytail which resembles some kind of a fruit. "It's Nara, something but if he wasn't that cocky, I'd consider him to be 'not-that-bad' in the looks department. All I know is that just remembering his smug face, I really want to poke his eyes out and his internal or-"

Tenten cleared her throat. "Tem, we've got a kid in the house"

Hiroshi blinked in confusion at his mom. Temari laughed nervously as she took Hiroshi and placed him on her lap. "You don't hear anything right, Hiro?"

"…a bit, not much"

"Well…heheh…Let's off to bed, then. We've got to make an early start tomorrow. You did have fun at school right?" Hiroshi nodded while stifling a yawn. "Mommy, I've made a new friend. His name is Hideki"

"Really?" After making sure that Hiroshi had been distracted from their previous conversation, she mouthed 'later' to her brunette friend who just shrugged in return. She made her way upstairs, leaving Tenten to her musings at the living room.

She reached for the remote and pushed the channel button several times before stopping at an entertainment channel. Her brown hazel-like eyes were fixed at the screen, but her mind was contemplating something else. If most people (especially guys) thought that her best friend, Temari was quite aloof and distant, she really was everything but that. She's very affectionate and protective of her loved ones; especially her only child and Tenten had stick with Temari through rain or shine. They've been through a lot together and she had grown accustomed and well aware of the roots to Temari's resentment towards the opposite sex. Tenten shook her head when she heard about what happened today. Poor guy.

Sometimes, it seemed unfair for Temari to channel all of her anger by giving her male co-workers a hard time and made their lives a living hell. But, it never failed to push away the tonnes of admirers she had whenever she was sent to a convention, seminar or formal parties on her own. Also, every time she managed to leave their prides injured or the worst case, broken legs or a swollen eye (for those who tried to get into her pants).

And it all started way back on that one dreadful day.

_The heavy downpour outside the single-storey house made Tenten shivered slightly. She saw Haruno Sakura, a junior and also her only housemate walked out of the bathroom. "Sempai, can you turn on the heater? It's really freezing in here although I just stepped out from the hot shower" Tenten smiled at the pink-haired psychology student before she disappeared into her bedroom. "Okay, Sakura-chan"_

_It was 9 pm and the rain had been pouring down for almost four hours with no signs of stopping. Tenten turned on the electric heater and she could feel the heat starting to rise in the room and she would not want to be anywhere but here. Seriously, it's not advisable to be out there where you'll be catching a cold. Not at this hour._

_She picked herself up from the floor and decided to continue writing her research paper in the lounge. Then suddenly, there was a frantic knock at the front door._

'_Who could it be at this hour?' Although she felt suspicious, reluctantly she pulled on the locked knob. If it was an intruder or a robber, Tenten would be more than ready to take them out. But she didn't prepare for the sight in front of her;_

_A blond-haired woman, standing at her doorstep, sopping wet with a few luggage on her feet. Shivering, with her eyes swollen like she had been crying non-stop for one whole day._

"_Temari…" She clamped her mouth shakily. This is not how she remembered about Temari. She lost weight. She looked like hell!_

"_Goodness, what happened to you, girl?"_

_Tears were streaming down her flushing face. "Tenten…I've g-got…no…w-where to go"_

"_Come on in. You're gonna catch a cold. Where's your husband?"_

"_H-he…left…j-just like that" Her soft voice began to quaver as she broke onto her best friend's shoulder. There was unmistakably a bothering warmth that she could feel when she put her hand on her friend's forehead. "Oh damn. Temari, you're having a fever. What did that bastard did to you?"_

_But, all she obtained were floods of tears and the sound of the pouring rain, in return. _

_Sakura appeared from her bedroom in a nightie when she heard the voices from the lounge. She was deeply moved when she recognized the identity of their guest._

"_Nee-chan…"_

"You're deep in thoughts. Something's bothering you?" A voice drew her back into reality.

"Nah, just thinking about old times, Tem"

The bluish-green eyed career woman walked down from the stairs, garbed in her PJs. "In a melancholic mood I see. So, anything interesting happened in your 'world' today?"

"Nah, nothing new. The usual things happened. But, Richard asked me out. Again"

"Your project manager? Did you have pity on that guy all of a sudden and decided to grant him his wish?"

The brunette shook her head while sneering at the same time. "Nope. No way. I prefer pure Japanese guys, preferably with long hair BUT…I just don't have much option in the workplace nor the time to find such suitable person. You understand right, Tem?"

Temari nodded with a considerate smirk on her face. "Hey, don't take it too hard. Maybe you'll meet him when we go grocery shopping. Haha…who knew?"

"Tem…I'm trying to find a decent, single guy not a house-husband"

"Well, I just don't want you to be affected with…you know…"

"We're not talking about that again, right?"

Temari was fully attentive that her personal experience might affect her best friend's outlook towards meeting someone, falling in love and settling down. She didn't want it to cost Tenten's happiness when she believed that the brunette needed someone, to love and build a family with. She just hoped that she would choose the right man.

But, sadly until then, they would remained as two hot, single ladies in town. Not that's a bad thing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End Of Chapter 4

End Notes: Hmm…there's chapter 4. Anyway, I've planned up several situations involving the interaction between our two lead characters. **If you guys have any ideas or suggestion on what situation would you like to see Shika and Tema in, please do tell me.** E.g stuck in a lift together (planning that one…yup…yup), a war over the fax machine, tongue-lashing session during board meeting or sent to a convention together? Oops, I gave out almost all of the surprises! Anyway, I do appreciate your time in reading this fic.

Take care. See ya next chappie! R, R, R & R! (Rest, Relax, Read, Review)

Love,

ardenilia


End file.
